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Academic Responses
The main component of our project was seeing how different people in different contexts answer the same question. Since we were making others give us answers via Facebook and the Viking Village we decided to answer the question too in formal, "academic" prose. Julia's Reponse In Introduction to Political Theory, the professor – faced with upwards of sixty students – pulls both her language and central ideas from texts written roughly four hundred years. As she speaks, the words stagnate over unreceptive ears. Is this a freshman phenomenon? Do students who choose to pursue subjects of a more empirical nature, the sciences, also struggle to comprehend the lengthy and multi-faceted sentences of Hobbes and Locke? In this class of sixty students, only five or seven students volunteer to answer the professor’s questions. While the professor places the blame on introverted personalities, laziness, or refusal to do the homework, she neglects to critically analyze another possible effect: her teaching method. In Cathy McDonald ’s essay, “I Don’t Want to Think Like You,” she puts forth that students feel ostracized not only by the texts they are expected to read in Humanities courses, but also the structure of the class itself. Students confronted with theorists with no previous experience with theory find themselves lost in the massive sentences and inverted structures these men and women use so fondly. Professors faced with sixty inexperienced readers discover they are forced to teach to the majority who understand; they can only plead with the minority, or at times the majority, who do not understand to attend office hours where both the student and professor can work together on an individual basis. Lectures and office hours still offer only a limited amount of time for students to seek help. Lecturers themselves often teach multiple courses in a single quarter, and these students also need office time and individual attention as well. While writing expectations have a profound effect on students like McDonald’s Garron, the university structure of lower-level classes itself may be to blame for the reluctance to participate or even learn in Humanities classes. John's Response I’ll be very succinct in answering this question. Yes, academic language and writing expectations do turn some students away from learning in humanities classes. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. Barriers exist in academia; you must have a high GPA to attend college. These barriers are useful, college is supposed to be difficult to get into. College level classes are challenging the coursework vigorous. Moreover not all college students want to take humanities courses. If a student is not interested in a career in the humanities, why does it matter if he or she leaves class without being able to understand formal academic writing? In this case the humanities department’s responsibility to this student is to assure that he or she can read accurately and with understanding and to be able to write well. Not all people are destined to go on to careers in the humanities, this should not shock us, or even worry us. Unless, the case arises that students have been treated unfairly. The English language can be difficult to comprehend, it is a complex dialect. The language of academic English is even more difficult to understand. This clearly disadvantages students who are first generation English speakers. Also, children growing up in poor households, studies show these students have more difficulties in the classroom. The system does work against these students, and their presence is deeply missed. Recent immigrant families bring with them fresh ideas, a different societal perspective on the world. The academy cannot move forward without an influx of fresh ideas and knowledge. Similarly, students who were raised in lower-class households bring with them very valuable views on life. The academy should make every effort to be inclusive toward these students; all parties would benefit if this was done. It will be a complex process that will that many years, I urge all who read this to take whatever steps possible to include recent immigrants and students from low socio-economic levels, share with them your love of the English language. It is the right thing to do, both for the students and the academy. Kaitlyn's Response We all decided to post our question to Facebook and I never informed any of my Facebook friends why I was posting this. Surprisingly I got two responses on our question and I agreed with what both of my friends said. I do believe that academic language of the Humanities courses that are offered now is at level that some students cannot keep up with. Most students in an academic setting, like a college campus, can adjust to the academic language that comes with it. When I started taking English 101 classes I knew what was expected and if I didn’t proceed to learn the academic language that was required to get through the class then I knew I wasn’t going to make it in the college setting. I was also not about to ask for special treatment either. Part of being a college student is adjusting; adjusting to the life of an academic student. I do believe a Humanities class can be intimidating to anyone and academic language is something we have to learn just like any other language (Digital language, Standard English language, Casual language) but making that adjustment is part of the way to earning a Bachelors Degree and more. Students who really want to succeed will put the efforts out to learning an academic language in a Standard English 101 class and other students will realize that college may not be for them. I look at it as a favor to the students who enter college with closed mind. A student must be open to the expectations of the academe in order to have a successful time in a college setting. Andre's Response Personally, I have many friends that I would consider to be smarter than me, or at least smarter in different ways: people that know how to disassemble electronics, pick up languages quickly and easily, can explain complex scientific concepts in layman terms, and are people persons. Among my primary circles I am usually the token English major. Among my friends though, I can only recall a specific instance where a friend said that he hated English classes because he just wasn't that good at writing. In fact the only time when he felt that he was actually good at writing was when he was taking a business writing class. There is something to say about interest and money-making incentives being a reason why people choose not to sign up for classes, adding a cultural value to the situation, but it doesn't really tell us why the language expectations would turn students away from learning and participating in Humanities classes once they're in them. I would posit that it comes back to the whole different way of knowing matter that was brought up with Garron. What is expected of academic language in Humanities is different than what is expected in sciences (and this even fluctuates between different Humanities departments!). My friend that works with electronics prefers a more hands on, tactile approach to learning; he learns by doing. He also has great planning and organizing skills. Reading and writing for him isn't his way of knowing the world and learning things.